Astrobiology and the Transformation of Scientific Epistemology
Abstract
Astrobiology occupies an unusual position within the philosophy of science. Confronted with the n = 1 problem - having only a single example of life to study - it attempts to investigate life beyond Earth while relying entirely on Earth's biosphere as its reference point, a constraint that creates unique epistemic challenges. Unlike traditional sciences with clear predictive frameworks, astrobiology operates as what we might call a transient science: a discipline functioning without foundational certainties, relying predominantly on abductive reasoning, and confronting hypotheses that may remain untestable for decades. It is, in essence, a science of absence - of evidence, certainty, and analogy - where progress lies in refining conceptual and experimental tools to recognize unfamiliar forms of life. This positions astrobiology alongside emerging fields like artificial intelligence and cognitive science within a broader transformation of how scientific knowledge is constructed when dealing with phenomena that transcend direct empirical access.
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BibTeX
@misc{sekrst2026astrobiology,
title = {{Astrobiology and the Transformation of Scientific Epistemology}},
author = {Kristina Šekrst},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.17728},
eprint = {2608.17728},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.17728},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Astrobiology and the Transformation of Scientific Epistemology
AU - Kristina Šekrst
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.17728
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.17728
AB - Astrobiology occupies an unusual position within the philosophy of science. Confronted with the n = 1 problem - having only a single example of life to study - it attempts to investigate life beyond Earth while relying entirely on Earth's biosphere as its reference point, a constraint that creates unique epistemic challenges. Unlike traditional sciences with clear predictive frameworks, astrobiology operates as what we might call a transient science: a discipline functioning without foundational certainties, relying predominantly on abductive reasoning, and confronting hypotheses that may remain untestable for decades. It is, in essence, a science of absence - of evidence, certainty, and analogy - where progress lies in refining conceptual and experimental tools to recognize unfamiliar forms of life. This positions astrobiology alongside emerging fields like artificial intelligence and cognitive science within a broader transformation of how scientific knowledge is constructed when dealing with phenomena that transcend direct empirical access.
ER -